Holy Roar

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I have the privilege and honor of watching God rescue people. He rescues them from self hatred, God hatred, addictions, legalism, coping, numbness, unforgiveness, and shame. But He doesn’t just rescue them and set them on the shelf. He wakes them up, washes them off, and then gives them a voice. He restores their glory.

It is a truly beautiful transformation to watch. And sometimes it’s humorous even.  Think about how awkward a butterfly looks as she is trying to get out of a cocoon.  She comes out, butt first, wrangling and wrestling, trying get out of the shadowland she had lived in. But her steadfast goal is to emerge so she can dry her wings in the sun and then FLY!  Well, in the same way, some of the women I see are in the “awkward process.”

These are strong warrior women. The Spirit of God is strong on them and in them. They may be unconscious of their full potential yet. (Aren’t we all?) But they are beginning to step out and step up.  They are wrestling to test their new found strength and courage as they feast on the goodness of God.  But I laughed the other day and told Chuck that some of these dear ones are like fierce lions who charge up to you but when they open their mouths what comes out is a ferocious… “meeeeoooow.”  They are still finding their voice. Their God voice. Their ground shaking, tomb breaking God voice that makes the darkness tremble.

In due season. In due season these women’s voices will rise up and become a Holy Roar. Why does it matter? Because we have the power of Christ beating within these bags of bones. We have His voice and zeal to rescue the perishing, to bring the truths of God to a dying world, to rescue other bound and gagged souls. We must open our mouths and let His words wash over this world.

Here is what I got in my email this morning. One woman’s story out of millions of being sold into the sex trade. Any one else want to lean back their heads and let out a Holy Roar?

Claudia (Click the icon to flip the story pages.)

Great Minds: All You Need to Know

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I really enjoy the blogs from Seth Godin. He doesn’t take it all the way home for me sometimes. But I read his stuff and want to let out a Warrior Yell. Read this:

All you need to know…

is that it’s possible.

Mike sent me a great story about an ultra-lightweight backpacker:

“Wolf was carrying a super-small pack which weighed 14 pounds including food and water. When asked how he got his pack weight so low, Wolf would reply, ‘All you need to know is that it’s possible.'”

One of the under-reported stories of the internet is this: it constantly reports on what’s possible. Somewhere in the world, someone is doing something that you decided couldn’t be done. By calling your bluff and by pointing out the possibilities, this reporting of possibility changes everything.

You can view this as a horrible burden, one that raises the bar and eliminates any sinecure of comfort and hiding you can find, or you can embrace it as a chance to stretch.

Most organizations forget to ask the question in the first place.

What I mean by taking it all the way home is the God factor. All you need to know —is that it is possible. And that With God, All things are possible. What are you about? What you shooting for?  What are you letting stop you that others have pressed through? If they can, you can.  Yes and Amen!

Believing is Seeing

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Just got this blog post from my friend.  And I think it is really profound because I am myself amazed at the quitting, disbelief, and negativity all around. I am a Depression grandbaby.  My grandmother and parents lived through the Great Depression and I have learned much from their stories. They believed in a something greater than the moment. They believed in the human spirit to overcome.

Now that I am a Christian, I see there is something in us, the Spirit of God that helps us overcome. Read this and see where you are in it. Then ask the Lord: Help my unbelief.

…Writer Paul Miller describes cynicism as “the spirit of our age” and sees it as a natural reaction to baseless and naïve American optimism’s failure to survive life’s difficulties. Dreams based on people, money, our health, our work, our church or government ultimately disappointment us because they are all transient, flawed foundations for hope. As Miller says, “Weariness and fear leave us feeling overwhelmed, unable to move. Cynicism leaves us doubting, unable to dream. The combination shuts down our hearts, and we just show up for life, going through the motions.”

What’s the basis for a realistic optimism?

So, what’s the basis for a realistic optimism that won’t be undone by life’s difficulties? Ironically, we may need to look back to the past and ask how our predecessors were able to withstand far more harsh life events than ours and still remain steadfastly, if grimly, optimistic? The answer is their faith in something that they understood to be benevolent, unchanging and ultimately trustworthy.
 
I can hear some of you saying, ” He’s talking about God”, but even many of my religious friends appear to be captives of a nagging cynicism. I see people of all stripes finding themselves bereft of real hope. My friends who view God as nonexistent, my friends who view God as indifferent and uninvolved, my friends who are religious but functionally atheistic (God exists and cares, but I am ultimately the master of my own fate), and even my friends who are devoutly religious – all struggle with questions of whether anything in their lives will ultimately prove to be worth their trust and hope.

So, how do I maintain my optimism for my clients?

In a pivotal moment of the film, The Polar Express, the main character is told that contrary to the adage (and cynic’s creed) “seeing is believing”, one must first believe and then the evidence to support belief becomes quite clear, “believing is seeing”.  “Seeing is believing” requires evidence before trust – a typical cause and effect relationship, but “believing is seeing” says faith makes something non-linear happen because we place trust in something/someone not-of-this-world first.

Excerpts from Dr. Jim Bailey’s newsletter at Directions Consultation

Dominos: Better Than Lucky Charms

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Okay, you are not going to believe the Ah-Ha moment I just had.  I am laughing my head off. Yesterday my friend responded to my prayer request letter with a blog post about giving thanks. The author instructed us to thank the Lord for everything. Literally. Even the bad stuff and the hurting places. Even the “how is this going to work out” things.

Now. For the record, I know this already. I have taught this for Heaven’s sakes! But I was still running around like a chicken with my head cut off. (Have you ever really seen this? Not pretty.) Bear in mind, my frantic action is happening right after I have just had a session of prophetic prayer in which they said about me: You are striving. You are not resting. You think your way is better. You have a foundational trust issue with God.

Well then. So I sit down, and I, literally, thank the Lord for everything on my to do list. And the things on my mental freaking out list. One of my entries reads: Thank you for the questions about clothes, meds, and packing.” These are real needs. Real issues that have to be resolved before I leave in a week for Zim. I have been all over town trying to work these issues out. (Striving, not resting. Not trusting.)

Here is the Ah-ha. Yesterday afternoon, after I wrote this entry yesterday morning, I am at a meeting and my friend says, “Hey before I forget, do you need shorts or pants? I have a whole tub for you to go through.”

I couldn’t believe it. It is like they were custom purchased for me, although we have totally different body styles. So I am just thanking the Lord and going on my merry way. But then this morning, He draws my attention to thanks having a Domino effect.  Two people also called me yesterday about help with the meds I need to take with us. I have all the suitcases I need now. I have my pants! And on top of this, if this weren’t enough, I just heard the Lord tell me that I needed to take gifts for the women’s conference I am teaching. I tell our business manager, “I need money for some trip supplies.” And at the very same meeting, someone leans over and whispers, “Hey, I have a check for you, don’t let me forget to give it to you.”

Now if you are not already shaking your head like I am, here is the kicker.  Know what Domino means?

French, probably from Latin —in the ritual formula benedicamus Domino — let us bless the Lord.  A whole new concept of the Domino effect. We bless Him. He blesses us, we bless him.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. O my Soul praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation. All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near, Praise Him in glad adoration. Hallelujah!

Calling Hope to Mind

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21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;

23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3: 21-24

I hear a song in my spirit when I read these words. It is Emily McCoy singing at one of our Unhindered Encounters. “The steadfast love of the Lord never changes. His mercies never come to an end./ They are new every morning. New every morning. / Great is your faithfulness to me./ Great is your faithfulness.

This is a supernatural math equation. It adds up every single time for our good. When we call to mind, when we consciously, purposely, submit, remind, immerse, surround ourselves with truth about God, the bottom line sum is always the same — “therefore I have hope.”

What is the truth? No more and no less than the steadfast love of the Almighty, Living God. For me, for you. His steadfast love gives me hope when I am empty. And it is His mercy that washes my life and circumstances. Not my love, not my mercy. But His steadfast love and mercy that rises every morning like the sun.

The LORD is my portion, therefore I will hope in Him. Don’t miss this. He is the sum total. “The thing.” The goal and measure of success. Not my looks, my money, reputation, relationships, kids or dreams. Not even my work done in His name. He is the portion; He alone is the piece that pacifies and satisfies my soul.

“Lord, thank You for the simplicity and power of this statement. Thank You for showing me that I can choose to call to mind the truth about You. Thank You that because You never run out of love and mercy, that I too can have love and mercy for myself and others. And Lord, thank You for revealing how I try to fill my cup with other things. You alone are my portion, therefore I have hope.” Amen.

Groping in the Dark

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I get in the middle of drama sometimes. Do you? I mean the kind of drama that swirls around you like a spring thunderstorm. Out of nowhere, before you know it, you are frantically searching left and right, conversation blowing around you from all directions. And you ask: How the heck did I get here??

My most recent of these whirlwinds has kept me in distress. I think and pray about it when I go to bed. I wake up in the night distressed. I rise in the morning with it still in my heart and mind. And I finally concluded that the only solution to the drama, the trauma and heartache is this: Godly wisdom.

In this particular case, the folks are doing the best they know. But that is the problem, what they know  is not enough. They need God’s wisdom, His ways of doing life, reconciling, forgiving. Living in Him. They need to know what He knows.

If they don’t have Him, they only have their wants, desires, and demands to lead them. It’s a scary place. And the destruction is painful to watch. As I was praying for this desperate situation, the Lord reminded me of this passage:

       I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
       along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
       I will turn the darkness into light before them
       and make the rough places smooth.
       These are the things I will do;
       I will not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16

What a promise, that He knows we need light, knows that we are groping, hands out in front of us, in the dark. Now to wait. Now to pray for tender, surrendered hearts before the Lord.

This is a powerful passage to pray over people and situations. Change out the word “they” for the person your are interceding for. And then claim the last two lines: “God do what You promised and thank You that You will not forsake them.”

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

Dead Among the Living

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All winter long, we have been admiring the beauty of the trees in our yard. I have really come to favor winter as you can really “see” the tree, its shape, limbs, its tree-ness without all the pomp of leaves and flowers. But today as I was taking a break from weeding, I looked up and the same line of trees I had been admiring has a glaring discovery. It is one of those kindergartner exercises, “Circle what doesn’t fit in this picture.”  Amid all the lush green trees, leaves waving and dancing in the wind, is a grey bark trunk and bare jagged limbs sticking out of the green wall.

All winter long, we never knew. But now with new growth busting out all around it, spring having sprung, the dark naked branches and shape reveal its true condition. Dead. I watched as it did not sway in beautiful motion with the wind,  but rather it jolted and staggered, like any good gust would cause it to crack and splinter and fall.

You know, dead trees are a hazard to living ones. Because when they fall, they bring the living branches down with them; sometimes whole live trees are grounded by the falling timber.

This is a precarious spiritual question. But one that needs to be asked. Are you a living or dead tree? Are you continuing to grow through the seasons, to produce new growth in spring, the promise of fruit in summer?

Or are you a dead tree trying to blend in? Don’t miss this. It is not enough that you are standing right next to the others in church. That dead tree is still standing. It is not enough that you grew up in good company, family, tradition, or denomination. Do you have God’s life that is reproducing in you? Slowly but surely. Gradual but inevitable because you are a Living Vessel that God pours through.

Not checked boxes, but a living transformation, so much so that others can see and say, “Yes, this tree is definitely alive. No question.”

The dead tree in our yard will be cut down shortly for firewood. And just like Jesus said,  “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:6 NKJV

Do not let merely the fear of hell keep you from answering the question. But rather receive the invitation that Jesus offers right before in this passage: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Don’t just stand there. Bloom.

Eyes Wide Open

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When God speaks, what do you do? I was driving down the road and Charis unexpectedly changed the station on the radio. But she pushed a button of a station we rarely, if ever, listen to. And here come the words:

‘Cause it’s you and me and all of the people
With nothing to do nothing to prove
And it’s you and me and all of the people
And I don’t know why I can’t keep my eyes off of you

Something about you now
I can’t quite figure out
Everything she does is beautiful
Everything she does is right

‘Cause it’s you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose

The “voices”  in my head immediately shouted out: “You are so vain, so foolish to believe that’s for you.”  But sometimes, if you listen rightly, even the “voices” go too far and betray themselves. Because they ranted on and said, “You are not beautiful.”

With that lie, the source was exposed, and my spirit snapped to respond. “Yes I am. Jesus said so.” And the Spirit whispered softly, “Good, now… listen again.” The song washed over me and my heart opened like a flower opens in the morning to receive the sun. “Love you back, Lord,” I prayed. With a full heart, I pondered, What will you and I do together with all the people?

All this in a split second. All this in the middle of an ordinary day. With to-do lists, with kids, with bills, with fears and hopes. All this and more God does just to remind us – we are not alone. We are not on our own. It is “You and me.” The two of you, you and Him. And He loves doing life with us. Really. Even the mundane, is not to Him.  He just can’t keep his eyes off of you.

Open your heart to the songs, touches, whispers of God. There is nothing better.

Our Prayers for Zimbabwe

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I told my friend that my heart is so different and I haven’t even left for Zimbabwe yet.  God has convinced and convicted me of so much. He keeps talking about trust and surrender. His life in my life. Trust that His life is in me when I surrender my life. Funny how those two things always hang around together. Think hand in glove. Think air in lungs.

But as we draw closer to leaving, would you pray with us? My heart’s cry has become the same things for two different groups: The team going and the people staying. Our needs are much the same, and our God is definitely the same. So join us as we ask God to pour out His favor on us and on them:

Health — Protection and strength, ability to sleep so our bodies serve us well. That those we visit will be healed and renewed in physical strength.

Revelation — We need a greater vision of God’s loving relationship. So do they.

Sustaining Power — In the strain of daily living  that we, and they, might ask for, expect and receive the grace from God who sustains all things by the power of His word.

Encouragement — Praying for God to strip off the lies and traps that keep us and them numb, silenced and defeated. That we all would experience the courage and comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Here is the scripture that God gave me in answer to the question, “What are You up to in Zimbabwe?”  Hallelujah, what a Warrior God.

 5 This is what God the LORD says—
       he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
       who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
       who gives breath to its people,
       and life to those who walk on it:
 6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
       I will take hold of your hand.
       I will keep you and will make you
       to be a covenant for the people
       and a light for the Gentiles,
 7 to open eyes that are blind,
       to free captives from prison
       and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
 8 “I am the LORD; that is my name!
       I will not give my glory to another
       or my praise to idols.
 9 See, the former things have taken place,
       and new things I declare;
       before they spring into being
       I announce them to you.”
Isaiah 42:5-9

Glow in the Dark

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According to Molly Mahoney in the movie, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, “Sparkle” is “something reflective of something bigger that’s trying to get out.”

What is in you trying to get out? What is bigger than you that makes you sparkle?

Why does a notion like that, of more, of shining, get in our heads and knock around? An entire movie trying to tap into the hidden beauty, greatness, Sparkle within us. And here goes God revealing Himself again. Connecting dots. Showing off. Wanting us to see Him. Last week we discovered what it means to be “in the light of Your presence.” This week are the pearls tucked inside Psalm 34, Psalm 16, and 2 Corinthians.

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. Psalm 34:5 NIV

Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
      all radiant from the shining of your face.
   Ever since you took my hand,
      I’m on the right way.
Psalm 16:11 The Message

When Moses came down from the mount with two stone tablets in his hand, his face was radiant. Shining from the presence of God. But he veiled himself from the people. Fast forward through the cross and you see the complete opposite. Corinthians says, “Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. And we with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of God.”

Have you seen it? When people change before your very eyes?  I think of my friends Ben and Kristen. The difference in their faces is unmistakable. They glow. Or take Lora or Heather after a powerhouse time with God at a retreat. Talk about radiant. Even Chuck blew me away the other day. He spoke to teens for the first time in a long time. And the glory in his face was a wonder to look at.

You can’t buy that kind of makeover. You can’t work it up, plan for it or lose it. You don’t even take credit for it. You just look at it in awe. Think of it like this: Salem just bought a glow-in-the-dark ball. You can’t do anything to make it glow in the dark. You can’t argue, talk, or fake it to make the ball glow. All you can do is put the ball in the light. And then it can’t help but glow.

He is the light that has come into the world, into us.  Christ in you the hope of glory. He is the bigger thing we reflect. And it is His life that is breaking through our little realities. Go sit in the glory of God. Go soak in the light of His presence. And then we will all sit back and enjoy the sparkle of God that you become.